HISTORY

Xavier L. Wortham

FLVF Timeline

2002 – Jackie Goodwyn works with Xavier Wortham to expand FLVF and open the office at 117 1/2 Williamsboro Street in with funding from OHA.

2004 – FLVF is incorporated and becomes financially independent from OHA securing federal and state grants for Domestic Violence Programs. Jackie is made Executive Director and moves the office to 104 Belle Street.

2005 – Serenity House Shelter is opened but operates intermittently depending upon availability of funds.

2006 – Administrative offices are moved from Belle Street to 1003 North Durham Street, Creedmoor, NC.

2006 – FLVF expands services to Sexual Assault (SA) victims and receives first SA grant funding from Council for Women in FY 2006-07.

2007 – FLVF expands programs to include services for Displaced Homemakers with Displaced Homemakers Grant from the Council for Women; Unofficially, becomes the Family Resource Center with more resources dedicated to computer lab and career and job resource library.

2008 – Shelter closes in June and staff is laid off due to lack of funding except: Judith Alston and Jackie Goodwyn. Jackie Goodwyn resigns as ED in August. Lauren Rene steps in as volunteer director in September, becomes interim director in October; new board members recruited.

2009 – Lauren Rene is elected Executive Director in January. FLVF office moves back to Oxford on 210 Broad Street.

2012 – Three-year note with BB&T paid January 2012.

2013 – Lauren Rene resigns as Executive Director in November.

2014 – Pam Hester is hired as Executive Director in September.

2016 – Office moves to 125 Oxford Loop Road in Oxford.

2017 – Purchased first van for client transportation.

2017 – Expanded Hispanic Services.

2018 – Pam Hester resigns as Executive Director in July.

Bonnie Hawley Anderson

A Word From Xavier L. Wortham:

After constantly seeing women come into our office after being victimized by domestic violence and having no place to live, I realized that something needed to be done. The children were being impacted by the violence and were missing school for days while their mother looked for help, which there was none.

The breaking point for me was when the following situation happened.

On a particular Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. one of my maintenance staff came to the office and told me that Bonnie wanted to see me, he showed her in.

She went on to tell how she was being beaten everyday by her boyfriend and that she needed a place for herself and her two children. We talked for a while and I tried to encourage her with conversation by distracting her with laughter. I told her to come to the office the next day and staff would help her complete an application for an apartment. She never showed up on that Thursday.

On Saturday, my mother called to say that Bonnie had been shot and that my father and Albert had gone to Oxford. Bonnie died that Saturday at the hand of a man she called her boyfriend.

Bonnie was a childhood friend and I couldn’t take it any longer. So I decided that we needed a way to help victims of domestic violence. Families Living Violence Free was started as a result of Bonnie’s death and all the women who were victims and could not care for their children.